Love Hurts
by Zandra's Ashes
Summary: An offworld mission to a lush colorful world proves, yet again, new friends may not always be as they seem. Despite the title this is a fun, fluffy, not so little fic.  Enjoy!


Disclaimer: Don't own, don't make any money from my "borrowing" of these beloved characters.

A/N: Response to the TLE (Tender Love and Elizabeth) Challenge from TheLadyMore over at GW.

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It was a rare treat when John actually invited Elizabeth to accompany his team back to a planet they had visited. Typically, the occasions she went offworld started with an argument about her safety and ended with an argument over John's sullen behavior during their visit offworld. In spite of that fact, for the first time in her life Elizabeth could attest to just how passionate making up could be and she felt uncannily lighthearted about this offworld mission. Though she had a nagging feeling John would be pursuing _collections _of this good deed he'd granted her, she decided to leave well enough alone for now and threw John a sly wink before stepping through the Stargate.

A moment later she stepped back onto firm ground and gasped. Elizabeth often wondered if she would ever become jaded by Gate travel, but she sincerely doubted it, especially when her eyes were gifted with such visual treats as this planet after crossing the event horizon.

"How is it possible a place like this even exists in the Pegasus galaxy?" Elizabeth breathed, looking around her surroundings in wide eyed wonder.

It was like walking into a travel ad for Costa Rica, well maybe Willy Wonka's version anyway. Lush trees stretched high into a violet sky, their lower branches intertwining creating intimate covered pathways bending mystically into the rain forest. Tropical flowers bloomed in colors that Elizabeth couldn't even begin to describe, colors that didn't exist in Earth's spectrum. Pools of clear water, clear _lavender _water, were bordered by massive boulders and as her eyes followed the tinkling stream she gaped to discover its source. A glorious waterfall cascaded down a ravine; the spray shooting off to the sides seemed tinged in shades of pink. She allowed her eyes to leisurely retrace their path and realized even the leaves of the foliage were a bluer hue of green then she'd ever seen, a smattering of crimson interlaced among them.

"So that is why the color spectrum seems so skewed here, amazing isn't it?" McKay looked proud of himself and was eagerly awaiting a reaction from Elizabeth.

In response, she nodded wondering just exactly how long Rodney had been talking. John was also looking quite smug and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her first impression. His eyebrow arched questioningly above his dark sunglasses and he, at least in his short sleeved shirt, had dressed appropriately for the humid heat. The P90 was dangling loose about his neck, his hand resting on the end of it and Elizabeth was struck by how masculine he looked basking under the suns strong rays. She unzipped her jacket watching John's brows wiggle up and down and she narrowed her eyes in warning. She indulged John by pulling the jacket from her arms slow and suggestively as if it were some kind of lingerie even though she already suspected he hadn't warned her about the hot climate on purpose. But it wasn't like she had a lot of options when it came to further shedding layers of clothing, none he would like anyway while she was in the sight of any other male.

"So where are the Hedonians?" Elizabeth wondered how far she would to walk in the heat.

Ford pointed towards one of the foliage canopied pathways. "Just around that bend."

"I was quite surprised; my people have never visited this planet. They have a fine market." Teyla's forehead furrowed in concentration.

Elizabeth shared a glance with John. It wouldn't be the first time the Athosians didn't have previous experience with a planet's inhabitants, but one that had thrived enough to develop bustling market_,_ that was unusual.

"Did you discuss the Wraith with them?" Elizabeth asked following Teyla onto the path. Her skin prickled pleasurably when John tucked in closely behind her.

Teyla turned, her expression wry. "Yes, though it was difficult to gage what difficulties they may have had with the Wraith; it frequently seemed as though they went out of their way to change the subject."

"Where's McKay?" Ford stopped suddenly.

John's face scrunched together with frustration. "He was fidgeting with his datapad mumbling about energy readings. I should have realized it was too quiet."

"Ford and I will go find him, perhaps you and Elizabeth should proceed." Teyla still looked a bit more anxious than Elizabeth was comfortable with.

John didn't look happy either but he shrugged anyway. "Well, the Hedonians said we'd be safe as long as we stayed on this side of the mountain. Apparently some of the native wildlife get a bit frisky on the other side."

"Okay then, but keep in contact." Elizabeth relented. "And stay away from the frisky wildlife."

"And bugs." John offered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I hate bugs."

A soft smile crossed Teyla's face before she turned with Ford and headed back.

Elizabeth started shoving her shirt sleeves up to her elbows trying to ignore the perspiration forming on her forehead. "You could have warned me John."

He had the grace to try to suppress his smirk, not that he succeeded. He pulled off his sunglasses and let his eyes roam leisurely up and down her body. "It's a good look for you Elizabeth, hot, sweaty. It would have ruined my fun."

"John!" She swatted his arm and he took advantage of her distraction to grab her arms and tug her off the path into the shelter of the foliage.

"Sorry." He murmured before his lips descended upon her own. When he pulled away a heavenly, if too brief, moment later he licked his lips hungrily, looking anything but sorry. "I brought an extra shirt you can borrow, but only if I get to watch you change."

"John!" Elizabeth scowled in mock anger as he trotted out of swatting range.

"Come on, we're almost there. If you have anything worth trading you can always buy yourself a new outfit." John slid his sunglasses on and waited for her to reach his side.

"That would be nice, but food for the expedition would be more helpful don't you think?"

John shrugged and tried to look nonchalant leaving Elizabeth wondering if they'd left more than the feisty native wildlife out of her previous briefing.

An hour later Elizabeth felt like a new person. The leaders of the Hedonians had taken instant pity on her and gifted her with a flowing dress of light gauzy fabric that just dusted above her knees and supplied light sandals for her feet. Though Elizabeth felt better, she couldn't help giving John the evil eye. Her clothing, boots, and _bra_ had been packed away in a bag now tossed over John's shoulder. Apparently he'd told Hera and Thaddeus- the_ married_ leaders- of Hedonia just how much Elizabeth liked red strappy dresses with equally strappy backs. Two more facts he'd left out of the briefing. Elizabeth was now was dressed as most of the natives and was admittedly more comfortable for the leisurely tour of the marketplace. It was difficult to not be impressed with their market, though she was having a hard time maintaining a serious expression while trying not to laugh at the sight of John toting her belongings around in the fuchsia cloth bag they had provided. It could be worse, she considered, it wasn't like he was carrying her handbag.

Ford and Teyla had located and were now babysitting McKay while he continued to investigate the erratic readings from his equipment. As excited as Elizabeth was about these new trading partners, she was growing more apprehensive about the things she didn't know. Something about this world seemed a little too good to be true and it went well beyond the supposed fact that they were a peaceful race and the only weapons they boasted were the bows and arrows they used for hunting. Hera and Thaddeus themselves seemed surreal, they were casual to the point where Elizabeth wondered if they actually had the authority they claimed over these people. But they were well received at each stall they visited within the market and now they had left John and Elizabeth to wander freely as they attended to some business. They were to meet again in thirty minutes for the afternoon meal and then Hera and Thaddeus were going to take them on a tour of some of their agricultural areas beyond the market.

"Elizabeth." John's face contorted oddly and Elizabeth could see him struggling with some sort of decision.

"John." She questioned, arching her eyebrow as menacingly as she could muster.

"I want to look at something, will you wait here for a minute?" John's eyes were darting back to a stall they had recently passed.

"I suppose I could manage that." Elizabeth didn't know what he was up to and in all honesty she didn't really care. If he kept up these endearing facial expressions, he could get away with about anything- a fact she was painfully aware he knew all too well.

"Great." He smiled broadly. "You realize I'll be able to see if you move. When I say right here, I mean right here, no-"

"I know John, no one else is here for backup if I get myself into mischief. And I am the most likely person on Atlantis to find myself in trouble offworld." She teased. It was the exact opposite and he knew that, he was more trouble prone than most of the crew of Atlantis combined.

"Well sometimes trouble finds you, so keep your eyes open. This won't take long."

She was intrigued by his behavior, he didn't want to leave her, yet so intent on going. She shrugged it off and turned slowly trying to take in everything the market had to offer. Again, she was struck by how nice it was. The Wraith could hardly have pillaged this world often, if at all, and she realized for the first time that all the stalls were permanent structures. They were constructed of wood and the roofs composed of a clay tile, not quite the makeshift tent markets she was accustomed too. It would take a considerable effort to repair this market from a Wraith attack, she mused, and her anxiety level increased several notches. What weren't these people telling them?

"Close your eyes." A deep husky voice breathed into her ear.

She instinctively obeyed, her heart rolling over deliciously, wondering just what exactly John had done. A cool metallic chain settled around her neck, a pendant of sorts she realized when John lifted her hair gently and secured the clasp.

"Okay, open up." John's hands were on her waist, he was standing entirely too close behind her.

"John, we're in public, you can't-"

"Elizabeth, open your eyes. No one here can object, their own leaders are married."

But if they were to be trading partners, there would be many points of contact amongst their various combined populations. This behavior was anything but wise, yet curiosity won out over her objections. She opened her eyes and gasped in shock when she glanced down at the pendant. It was a stone unlike any she'd never seen before, it was not a ruby, but it's glorious crimson color radiated with brilliant clarity. It had been hand cut and carefully crafted into a symbol she was not familiar with.

"It's beautiful John, what does it symbolize?" She peered back at him surprised when he avoided her eyes.

"The merchant said something about good fortune, I believe. " He stammered.

"Good fortune? Hmm. Well it's beautiful and I adore it. Thank you, John."

He finally met her eyes and tucked his head down and brushed his lips against hers. "You're welcome."

"John? What did you trade for this?"

His eyes widened and a flush filled his face. "Well... you _do_ have a lot of red lingerie. I didn't think you'd mind-"

"My bra! John Sheppard you didn't!"

"Well, that necklace was meant to be yours, Elizabeth, and it was the only thing that seemed to interest them." He had the grace to look somewhat appalled, even at his own behavior.

"That's great, I can see the headlines on the intra galaxy gossip now. Atlantis leader's bra for auction." Elizabeth frowned and pulled away from John's grasp.

"Well, in my defense, they don't know we're from Atlantis, Elizabeth. They just think we're from a nearby world."

"Not making me feel any better John. Why don't you give me your boxers, let's see what I can trade them for. I wonder what NFL boxers would buy me in this market?" She looked at John and he blanched. "What?"

"Well…you had me a little tied up last night and I didn't quite make it to the laundry."

She had to bite down on her lip to keep from laughing. "Commando, John, really?"

"Well it _is_ hot on this planet, I figured-"

"Never mind." Elizabeth shook her head trying not to laugh or scold herself for so easily forgiving him. "The necklace is beautiful, even if I did pay for it myself."

"Well… it's the thought that counts."

"If you say so. John, do you know what's around that bend? I keep seeing people come in and out, but no one has mentioned a part of the market in that direction."

John lips clenched together as he considered the area she pointed towards. "Maybe that's where some of their homes are. Come to think of it, we've only seen the market, we haven't seen anything else of the town."

"Well I don't think our hosts would mind…"

Johns' expression turned grim. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"John, you are the one who cleared this world, we can ask the others to join us on our stroll-"

"No, you're right. It just occurred to me that maybe this planet is a little too good to be true. But, of course, that could be because of the beaches Thaddeus spoke of yesterday. I may have a few ideas for unorthodox trading scenarios." John nodded forward and they headed out of the market and down the dirt path along with other pedestrians who were looking at them quite curiously.

Ignoring them, Elizabeth rolled her eyes considering John's words. "Let me guess, you've already asked Rodney to make you a surf board."

"Well…." He flinched and his footsteps stalled. The path around them seemed suddenly devoid of life.

Elizabeth followed John's eyes towards a door that seemed to be built into the side of the lush mountain. "John?"

"This is a bad idea Elizabeth."

"John don't be silly, let's go." She watched him seeming to struggle with the decision. "If I wasn't here, would you check it out?"

His silence was the only answer she needed. She pulled the heavy metal handle on the wooden door. It creaked eerily as it swung open.

"Is it just me or does that look like a door to a gnome home?"

"Gnome home?" Elizabeth laughed and peered into the darkened corridor before them. A crack of light was visible from the opening on the other side. "Come on grumpy."

His answering grimace only encouraged her. Ignoring her natural instincts to run, she focused instead on what she asked of John's team, and all of Atlantis' offworld teams, on a daily basis. She ignored her racing heart feeling she had no choice but to proceed, even if she was proving only to herself that she was willing to do anything she asked of them.

The door slammed shut behind them and their eyes locked in the murky darkness. A flare of panic raced through her veins. Elizabeth belatedly remembered that just because John's team would have crossed that threshold didn't necessarily mean it was a good idea.

John grasped her hand and they gingerly proceeded forward.

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A/N: TBC. Hope you enjoyed, sign up for story alerts and be the first to know when the next chapter posts!


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